Brick-machine.



No. 660,187. Patented Oct. 23, |900.

W. P. GRATH.

BRICK MACHINE.

(Application led Nov. 1, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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'N0. 660,187. f Patented 00L 23, |900. W. P. GBATH.

BRICK MACHINE.

(Application led Nov. 1, 1899.)

2 Sheats--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

mllllmnmm" UNITED STATES y PATENT OEEICE.

WALTER P. GRATH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,187, dated October 23, 1900.

Application filed November 1,1899l Serial No.' 735,486. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it Wto/,y concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER P. GRATH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new'and-useful Improvement in Brick-Machines, of Whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to brick-machines,

' and has for its principal object to produce a hand-power machine for pressing clay and to improve the details of construction.

It consists in the parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the lines 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a central vertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

The framework 1 of my machine has a mold 2 in its upper portion, and the mold is open and provided with a plunger at its top and at its bottom. The lower plunger 3 or bottom of the mold is vertically movable in said mold, and the shank of said plunger has teeth formed thereon to constitute one or more racks 4L A horizontal shaft or axle 5, journaled in the framework, has one or more pinions 6 fixed thereon to mesh with said rack or racks and a hand-lever 7 for turning said` vplunger 3 for the purpose of reducing the granulation of the clay in theinterior of the brick,a long flat spring 1l,bowed downwardly, is xed to the lower edge of the hand-lever, so as to rest against the set-screw. This springis strong enough to overcome the down- -ward pressure due to the weight of the lower 'ing its horizontal position.

plunger, but yields to the initial pressure of the upper plunger on the clay in the mold.

In order to properly guide the lower plunger to the side on which the rack and pinion are located. The lower end of the shank of the lower plunger is slotted or bifurcated to straddle and guide pins or projections 13 on the end of a toggle-link 14. In the normal or retracted position of the lower plunger the mount antifriction-rollers on said projections, as shown at 33. Another toggle-link 16 is pivotally connected at its upper end to said draw-bar and carries alaterally-projecting pin or bar 17, which is guided to move vertically. This last-mentioned pinprojectsm through the frame and has pivoted thereto at each end a vertical rodor bar 18, and these two vertical rods carry a horizontal crossbar 19, from which is suspended the upper plunger 10, which 'ts into the mold from above and constitutes the top thereof.

Power .is applied to the press by means of a lever 20, journaled in the framework and adapted to bear against the draw-bar endwise. For this purpose the end of the drawbar is enlarged on its upper side and has an elongated slot 21 formed therein and a vertical offset 22 at its outer end. The axle or fulcrum 23 of the lever extends through the horizontal slot', and a bearing-pin 24, carried lby said lever, lits in the vertical slot or odset. This construction vconstitutes a cam, and when the lever is'turned the bearing-pin moves the draw-bar forward or backward, while the horizontal slot permits thedrawbar to slide on the fulcrum-pin without chang- A great leverage may thus be used for moving the draw-bar, the head of which operates the toggle-links IOO so that the plunger will clear it.

said plunger to be swung up beyond the veri tical position. A lug or stop 25 isprovided on the pivotal member, and limiting-stops 26 are provided on the side bars 18 or on the framework for holding the plunger in its upturned position andfor centering it above the mold in its downturned position, respectively. In order to permitof this upturning of the plunger, the feed-spout 27 is inclined The feedspout terminates in a charger or measuringboX 28, corresponding in size with the mold and arranged to slide horizontally on the upper table or platform to empty its contents into the mold. This charger is provided with a rearwardly-extending plate 29, adapted to close the spout when the charger is drawn above the mold. In order to prevent the weight of the upper plunger from causing it to drop, its cross-bar is provided with a loose collar 30, which has a radial arm 3l projecting therefrom in position to slide along the top edge of the framework. its radial arm, thus constitutes a gravitypawl, and when the plunger is raised the radial arm is on the dead-center and prevents the accidental dropping of the upper plunger. When the machine is to be operated, this gravity-pawl is pulled aside and its end edge slides on the top edge of the framework.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The upper plunger isswung up against its back-stop to permit the charger to be slid horizontally on the table to drop its contents into the mold. Then the upper plunger is swung down and centered above the mold. Then power is applied to the main lever and the draw-bar is actuated thereby. As the draw bar is guided horizontally it moves both the upper and the lower toggle-links; but on account of the space between the end of the upper toggle-link and the end of the slot in the shank of the lower plunger the upper toggle-link producesno effect until its end comes into contact with said end of the slot. The upper plunger, however, begins to move downwardly with the first motion of the drawbar, because its cross-bar is fitted on the side bars which are directly connected to the lower toggle-link. The result is that there is an initial downward pressure of the upper plunger before the upper toggle-link is in posi- This collar, with brick is thus formed the main lever is returned to its former position, whereby the upper plunger is raised and the lower plunger is free to move down. Then the upper plunger is-swung up to make room for ejecting the brick from the mold. Then the pinion is turned by means of the hand-lever on its axle, and acting on the rack on the shank of the lower plunger it raises said plunger, and thereby ejects the brick.4 The hand-lever is then lowered to rest against its backstop and the machine is in condition to repeat the above-described operation.

What I claim is-- l. A brick-machine comprising a framework, a mold having movable plungers constit-utng the top and the bottom thereof, a horizontally-guided draw-bar and verticallyguided links pivotally connected to saiddrawbar and constituting a toggle for operating said plungers, one of said links being operatively connected to one plunger and the other being connected to side bars connected to the other plunger, and a lever fulcrumed in said framework and arranged to actuate said drawbar, substantially as described.

2. A brick-,machine comprising a framework, a mold having movable plungers constituting the top and the bottom thereof, a horizontally-guided draw-bar and verticallyguided links and connecting-bars constituting a toggle for operating said plungers, and a lever fulcrumed in said framework, said draw-bar having a cam formed near its outer end and said lever having a piece to coperate with said cam, substantially as described.

3. A press comprisinga mold whose top consists of a vertically-movable plunger, said plunger being pivotally suspended from a transverse cross head and adapted to be swung up past the vertical plane, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A press comprising a mold whose top con- IOO IIO

sists of a vertically-movable plunger pivotally mounted from a cross-piece and adapted to be swung up past the vertical plane, and a stop arranged to hold said plunger in elevated position when swung up past the vertical plane, substantially as described.

5. A press comprising a mold whose top consists of a vertically-movable plunger, and a gravity-pawl mounted to move with said plunger and arranged to slide along the top of the framework, substantially as described.

6. A press comprising a mold whose bottom consists of a verticallymovable plunger, means for exerting pressure thereon said means being normally out of operative relation to said plunger to permit said plunger to move independently thereof in either direction, and an independently-acting ejecting device for elevating said plunger, substantially as described.

7. A press comprising a mold whose bottom consists of a vertically-movable plunger, a toggle for exerting pressure on said plunger, a rack formed on said plunger and a pinion engaging therewith, and means for holding said plunger out of contact with the toggle device when said toggle device is retracted, substantially as described.

8. A press comprising a mold Whose top and bottom each consists of a vertically-movable plunger, means normally out of operative relation to the lower plunger for exerting pressure thereon and an independently-acting ejecting device consisting of an axle, a handlever and a pinion thereon, and a rack on said lower plunger and engaging said pinion, and an automatically-yielding stop in the path of said hand-lever, substantially as described.

9. A press comprising a mold having movable plungers constituting lthe top and the bottom thereof, a toggle for actuating the sarne, side bars connecting the upper plunger with the'lower toggle-link, and a yielding device for supporting the lower plunger out of operative relation to the upper toggle-link when said upper link is retracted, substantially as described.

WALTER P. GRATH.

In presence of- JAMES A. CARR, CHAS. E. WISE. 

